Seven Steps
by KaleidoscopeKreation
Summary: Comfort. Protection. Devotion. Rumours. Charming. Oblivious. Turth. Thus ran the prompts as I found them of Broh Week 2012. Using my paltry writing skills, I have tried to weave them together into some semblance of a story.


**B(i)roh Week **

**A short fic**

**Day 1 – Comfort**

Iroh and Bolin's "beyond-cooperation-in-situations-of-mortal-peril" relationship began quietly.

It started just after Korra had come back to Republic City with her bending restored, the day before she would give the press release that would tell of her new powers and bring ex-benders from all over the city to line up outside her door. Mako, Bolin, Korra and Asami had unloaded their bags and washed off the stains of travel, and somehow, after everyone else had dispersed, the four of them had ended up hovering in the harbour, at a slight loss for what to do next. Then Iroh had wandered up – apparently he was stationed in the city until further notice – and asked what they were up to. They had honestly replied that they had no idea.

The five of them had hovered a little more. Asami asked Iroh how city reparations were going. He told them that good progress was being made.

Korra yawned. Waves lapped against the harbour wood.

Finally, Bolin made a suggestion. 'Noodles are awesome comfort food,' he proclaimed, 'and just what we need after a journey like this. They'll set you up for anything. Who wants to come to that Water Tribe place with me?'

There was a pause while everyone mulled over this idea.

'I think I'd better turn in early, to be honest,' Korra said, stretching her arms above her head. 'I'm beat. Tomorrow, maybe.'

'If Korra's staying here, so am I,' announced Mako. Asami grimaced. He didn't notice.

'I think that I'd better go and see what my... dad's... mansion is like,' she said, crossing her arms over her chest and staring at the floor. 'I haven't been back there since this... whole thing started. It could be in any condition.' She sighed. 'But I'll get the ferry with you two, if you... are going into the city for comforting noodles together?'

Iroh looked at Bolin.

Bolin looked back at Iroh.

Iroh raised his eyebrows questioningly.

Bolin nodded.

Iroh smiled. 'Of course. Let's get the next ferry.'

**Protection**

It had been a wonderful evening. Quiet, but not too quiet; fun, but not exhaustingly so; uneventful, but not to the point of being boring. Iroh and Bolin were surprised and pleased to find that they enjoyed one another's company. Even Pabu, nestled against the collar of Iroh's undone red military jacket, seemed content. Both of them felt secure, relaxed and happy.

They were crossing Yeng avenue, the last main road before the harbour, when Bolin, laughing at something that Iroh had said, stepped without looking onto the Wilder-Zebra crossing.

Just as a big black Satomobile thundered up to it.

'_Look out!'_

'Wha – '

Suddenly, faster than he could think, arms were encircling Bolin and yanking him back off the road. The Satomobile roared past, blaring its horn, its bright lights sending spots to dance in front of his eyes.

Iroh was still dragging him away, back across the pavement and into the yellow glow of a lamp-post. Bolin twisted around in his arms, his mouth opening to apologize or protest, but the words died on his lips as he looked into Iroh's face. His golden eyes were wide with alarm, and he was glaring with almost frightening intensity.

'You _can't _just _walk out in front of cars _like that!' he exclaimed, taking Bolin by the shoulders and giving him a little shake. Bolin took a step backwards, feeling the cool metal of the lamp-post behind him.

'I don't exactly make a habit of it,' he huffed, shifting his shoulders awkwardly. Iroh was holding them just a bit too hard to comfortable; it was rather disconcerting.

'The city streets are dangerous, Bolin. You should be more careful.' Bolin looked up at Iroh properly, and noticed, with slight consternation, that the General looked genuinely scared, his face pale under the yellow tint of the lamplight.

'I usually am, I promise. Also, drivers aren't usually that jerkassy,' Bolin said. Iroh nodded, looking slightly reassured.

'Also, I'm not usually in such good company,' Bolin added. A bit of true praise would certainly cheer Iroh up. 'That story about the Serpent's Pass that you were telling was so awesome that I – '

Iroh looked stricken. 'You mean that it was _my _fault that you were distracted from the road?'

Bolin couldn't help but chuckle. 'Iroh. Man. Don't worry about it.' He gently pushed Iroh's hands off his shoulders and patted him on the arm. 'I'm fine. You're fine. That's what matters. It doesn't matter if you distract me, because you'll make sure that I'll come to no harm!'

Finally, Iroh laughed. 'I'll try my best to protect you, Bolin.'

A huge grin broke across Bolin's face. 'And the same to you, Captain General Prince Iroh, sir. Not that you'll need it.'

'Even the best soldier needs someone to watch his back,' Iroh laughed.

**Devotion**

A few days passed. People on the island came and went. Bolin settled into a new pattern of life.

Korra was so busy that she barely had time to eat. It seemed that, even in the short reign of his revolution Amon had managed to strip _thousands_ of people of their bending. It was admirable, really.

Mako mostly looked after Korra. He made sure that she had regular breaks, provided her with everything that she needed, and stood threateningly at the door, making sure that nobody entered except for bona fide ex-benders. While she was in the Avatar state, she was at her most vulnerable, and he was determined that nobody should get a chance to threaten her.

Asami threw herself whole-heartedly into reviving her father's business, and rectifying the damage that his involvement with the equalists had done to its reputation. However, ill-repute or no ill-repute, there was no denying that Future Industries was the best business in its field, and so Bolin had every confidence that she would be successful.

This left Bolin rather at a loose end. He toyed with the idea of chasing together a few promising pro-benders, since Korra – with Mako in tow – had both announced their resignation from the Fire Ferrets. Korra had decided that her duties as an Avatar were too important for multi-tasking. Mako had decided that supporting Korra was his top priority. Bolin had decided that yelling at him would be childish. The best course of action would be to grin and bear it.

However, after some deliberation, Bolin had decided to put off pro-bending for a little longer. The arena was still under construction, and there were bigger problems that still needed solving; problems that affected the whole city. The damage of Amon's bombs was wide-spread. Riots were still breaking out in some of the lower districts. The police were thinly spread, even with the supplement of the United Forces.

Bolin decided to volunteer to help with the reconstruction work.

Since recovering her bending, Lin Bei Fong had fully recovered. Although she had not reclaimed her position as Chief of Police, she was helping the forces in their work across the city. She visited Air Temple Island frequently, and one day, as she got off the boat, Bolin came up to her.

'Hey, Master Bei Fong. Can I volunteer for your reconstruction team?'

It was a straight-forward question, and he hadn't expected a straight-forward answer. He was sure that he would have to enter some long, bureaucratic task assignment system before he could even hope to see any action.

He was pleasantly surprised.

'Of course you can, Bolin. We'll be working on a skyscraper in the Sheng district tomorrow morning. Turn up in front of the Police Station tomorrow morning at seven.' She smiled. 'Maybe you can even learn a bit of metalbending on the job.'

Bolin was unable to restrain a whoop. 'Thanks, Master Bei Fong. You're the best!'

'Contain yourself, Bolin. But you're welcome.'

She stepped away from him, and regarded him appraisingly for a moment. 'By the way... you may be interested to know that General Iroh is also a part of our team. As a matter of fact, he suggested that I ask you to work with us. Several times, actually.'

Bolin raised his eyebrows in surprise. 'Rea... Really?'

She nodded. 'You must have made quite an impression on him, young earth-bender.'

Bolin grinned. 'Well, I try.'

The next morning, Bolin came early to the Police Station. He was unsurprised to find that nobody else had arrived yet. He loitered for a few moments, breathing on his hands to warm them. It was a clear, cold morning, and the white steam rose into the air like dragon-smoke, paler against the pale blue sky.

'Bolin, is that you?'

He jumped and turned around quickly. Iroh was striding across the pavement towards him. Bolin had never seen him out of his United Forces uniform before, and he was surprised at how relaxed he looked; relaxed, but no less formidable.

'Yeah, it's me!' Bolin said cheerily, raising a hand in salute and walking over to him. 'I'm up and ready to start on some restoration!'

'That's great,' Iroh said, his smile crinkling the corners of his eyes slightly. He hesitated, and added, 'I'm sorry that we haven't been able to talk since... we went out to dinner. I've wanted to, but everything has been so busy.'

Bolin waved away his apologies. 'Don't worry about it. Everyone knows that you have a lot on your plate.'

'Nevertheless, I would like to see some more of you... especially now that we're team-mates, and so forth.' Iroh suddenly looked endearingly awkward. Bolin considered this with interest. Being a General in the United Forces _and_ the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation might make forming normal friendships difficult.

'Yeah, I agree. Maybe we could do something this afternoon when we knock off!'

'Today as ever is?'

'Sure, why not?' Bolin hesitated. 'What do you usually do after work? I won't be interrupting anything, will I?'

'Well... I haven't been in the city for long enough to develop a concrete routine, but...' Iroh suddenly looked downright embarrassed. 'Usually, in the late afternoon, I have a cup of tea. Jasmine or Chai.'

'That sounds nice.' Bolin scrutinised Iroh's face. He felt as though there was more to what Iroh was saying than he was letting on. People didn't just have 'cups of tea' that took up whole spaces of afternoon. 'Is there a particular, uh, reason why?'

'Erm. Well. It's sort of a long story.'

Bolin glanced up at the clock. 'We have time.'

'Well. When I was a boy, my grand-father Zuko would always tell me stories about his Uncle Iroh, my namesake, the Dragon of the West, and his great deeds. I admired him a lot when I was younger. He was a great lover of tea, and so – '

'It's like a family tradition?' Bolin suggested. 'You're such a devoted great-great-great-nephew!'

Iroh frowned slightly. 'It's not just about family, though. I find that drinking tea at the end of the day really... really helps me to focus. I can calm down and think about what has happened; I can reflect on my past actions and plan my future ones. It may be a tribute to my Uncle, but it's a devotion to my own life, too.'

'If you don't want me there, I'd understand, sir. We can plan a meeting for another time,' Bolin said, looking at his feet. Iroh was a complex man, it seemed. Far more complex than Bolin, the simple street-rat.

Iroh thought for a moment. 'On the contrary, Bolin, if you _did _want to join me, I would be honoured.'

**Rumours**

'You're insane, aren't you?' Bolin said weakly.

'That's right!' Korra said sarcastically.

'...'

'No, really, that's what I heard.'

'You mean it _wasn't _just one of your crazed imaginings? You get visions a lot, right?'

'I wish it was, but I'm afraid not.'

Bolin flailed. 'But... why would he even...'

'What more do you expect of Tahno? He was so full of it when he slithered up here to get his bending back, you should have seen him. This was _after _I'd done the deed, of course. Before that he was all humility.'

'_I don't even!' _Bolin expostulated. He sat up a little straighter on his rock and dug his toes into the sand. Feeling rocks at his feet was comforting, even if it was a little grainy. 'How does Tahno even know that Iroh and I are _friends, _let alone – '

'Tahno is a smooth jerk-ass whose mind is in the gutter. If I were you, I wouldn't take it to heart, Bo.' Korra hesitated. 'Unless, in this one instance, he happens to actually have a point.'

Bolin sighed. 'No. At least, I don't think so.'

'Every rumour has some truth in it,' Korra said wisely. 'It's just a question of how much.'

'Well,' Bolin said slowly, 'it's true that Iroh has suggested that I should join the UN, especially now that you guys aren't pro-bending anymore.'

'I'm really sorry about it, Bolin, you know that I'd love – '

'Yeah, yeah, I know, it's fine.' Bolin rested his chin in his hands and looked out to sea. 'But I _know _that Iroh isn't trying to "lure me onto his ship". That's Sozin-on-a-pink-ostrich-horse crazy talk. He doesn't think about me that way.'

'Are you sure about that?'

Bolin hesitated. 'Well... why would he? He's the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation and I'm... what. A street-rat who got lucky or something? Not exactly a match made in Heaven.'

Korra put her head on one side, considering. 'But would you _like _something to happen? Do you feel like he would too?'

'...We have yet to overtly discuss it!' Bolin wailed, flailing. 'I mean, sometimes it feels like... yeah, but... Urgh!' He flopped his face into his palms. The rocks and sand around him rumbled slightly.

'Maybe you should try and take a step forward,' Korra suggested. She looked out over the sea towards the city, twirling a hand idly to make the waves in front of them lap a little higher. 'If you like him, tell him. The worst that can happen is that he'll reject you and crush your heart. And then you can just keep on at him until he accepts you.'

Bolin prodded her with his toe. 'That's the worst plan I've ever heard.'

She shrugged. 'It worked for me.'

**Charming**

'Hey, Iroh. I'm sorry I'm late. I got all caught up at Air Temple Island, Korra wanted to spar against someone...'

'Bolin!' Iroh turned and covered the distance between them in quick strides, sweeping him into a barely-excusable-as-friendly hug. 'It's wonderful to see you! Not to worry, not to worry. I only just arrived myself. Shall we set off?'

Their meeting-places were varied. Sometimes they went to bars or trained together in the pro-bending gym; however, recently, their routines had also incorporated long walks in the city parks, or evenings in fancy restaurants (when Bolin had complained at the price, Iroh had paid, waving away his protests with an exceedingly logical argument about proportional wealth).

Today, they were meeting for an _Ume _viewing. The first plum-blossoms of Spring were beginning to appear on the mountainsides, and Iroh had suggested taking a carriage out of the city to look around the orchards. Bolin didn't know much about courtship, but "romantic" seemed to be an apt adjective for the activity.

'The ostrich-horses are waiting with the buggy around the corner. We could have hired a driver, I suppose, but I thought that it would be nicer to steer it ourselves. I can handle a team of ostrich horses, and I'm sure that _you _will pick it up in no time.'

'Well, it sounds like a useful life skill,' Bolin said, ducking his head at the compliment.

'It is, fairly. Here we are, then.' The buggy was made from dark polished wood, and the ostrich-horses' feathers were black and sleek. They flicked their tails and pawed their feet against the cobbles, clearly eager to be off.

'After you,' Iroh said, with a dazzling smile. He stepped smartly up to the door, opened it with a flourish, and then _handed _Bolin up into the red velvet seat.

Bolin felt his face grow warm, and a tingling sensation shot through his stomach. Iroh's hand felt firm on his back, and despite his nerves, he suddenly felt excited by the prospect of the day ahead. Iroh's charms were clearly working, but Bolin trusted him enough not to mind.

Still, being helped into the carriage like a swooning maiden was a bit much. As Iroh prepared to climb into the buggy by himself, Bolin reached out, grabbed his arm and hoisted Iroh up into the seat beside him. Not with enough force to hurt, of course, but suddenly enough to make him give a surprised yelp and get a bit flustered.

Bolin smiled sweetly. 'Just returning the favour.'

'Thanks,' Iroh said ruefully, rubbing his arm.

**Oblivious**

'There's an old legend about the mountains around here that Jinora told me,' Bolin said. He twisted his hands together and leant back in his seat, taking a deep breath of the cool spring air. He could taste the faint scent of plum blossom and new plants, and from his left came the roar of streams swollen by melted ice.

Iroh slowed down the Ostrich Horses slightly. 'Oh yes?'

Bolin sighed. 'It's a bit sad. An Earth-bending Nobleman's daughter befriended a peasant girl who waited on her chamber. One day, the two girls ran away together, to escape the boundaries of their society. They got caught, and the servant girl was going to be killed for their rebellion, but the girls wouldn't take that, and so they committed suicide together. And then the spirits turned them into the first wild plum trees so they could grow together forever. This was before Yang-Chen, obviously.' There was a silence, broken only by the creak of the harnesses and the caw of an ostrich-horse. 'The nobleman was so sad that he became a monk,' Bolin added as an afterthought.

'That's really sad,' Iroh sighed. A cloud moved in front of the sun, and Bolin huddled a little closer to Iroh for warmth. He was never sure whether it was simply his imagination, or whether Iroh was really hotter than other people. Regardless, he seemed to exude an aura of fiery energy that drew Bolin to him.

'Yeah. Just your typical corny spirit romance story.' Bolin laughed. 'Jinora loves that stuff. Every minute that she's not airbending or advising me about my own love life, she has her nose stuck into some saga or other.'

Iroh laughed. 'What does she have to say to you about _your _love life?'

Bolin couldn't have asked for a better opportunity. 'Mostly that life is too short for dithering and that I should just go for it.' He laughed nervously. 'I'd say she's talking rubbish 'cause usually, that's not a problem for me, but recently...' he flashed a nervous glance in Iroh's direction.

'You shouldn't worry about that,' Iroh said. 'I can't think of a reason why anybody wouldn't love you.'

He looked tenderly into Bolin's eyes.

Bolin leant towards him, leaning a hand on the seat between them.

Iroh closed his eyes, and leant forward.

Their lips met.

When they broke apart, Iroh laughed breathlessly. 'At last. I was beginning to be afraid that you were utterly oblivious as to how I felt.'

Bolin grinned. 'Not quite. You're too awesome to ignore forever.'

'And you're too lovely not to kiss,' Iroh murmured, bending down again, 'so I suppose that we're even.'

**Truth**

When he had suggested that Bolin should join the United Forces, Iroh had not, in fact, been trying to lure Bolin onto his ship. If a luring-type situation _had _occurred, it would simply have been a happy bi-product of a more honourable aim: to guide Bolin towards an occupation that he would enjoy whole-heartedly.

However, if he _had_ been trying to lure him, he would have been disappointed, for Bolin spent the first six months of his service with a different battalion; one that specialised in Earth-bending. As well as regular earth-bending drills, the privates were taught elementary metal-bending. Bolin had little time to miss his home.

That is, until his first period of leave was due. Suddenly, thoughts of the City began to occupy his every thought. As land drew nearer and nearer, he found it more and more difficult to focus on his work.

His preoccupation reached its peak in his last metal-bending lesson of the voyage.

'You're good,' said his teacher, nodding, 'but I want you to drill that form again. Satisfactory is not good enough. Your foundations must be flawless if you are to become strong. You need to _concentrate._'

Bolin nodded, and sunk back into his training stance, but he couldn't help a glance at the horizon. They were only a few _li _from port. Perhaps they would be able to see land by nightfall...

A thin spool of wire shot out, clipping the side of his head. '_Concentrate, _Private Bolin.'

Six months ago, he might have rolled his eyes or stuck his tongue out; today, he had the propriety to bow. 'Yes, Sifu.'

It wouldn't do to end the voyage on a sour note, after all.

Later, in the mess hall, all the troops can talk about is how they will spend their month's leave.

'I'm gonna go drinking all around the city,' boasted one young man. 'A different bar every night.'

His friend sniggered. 'Sure you are, Feng. Far as I remember, last time you tried to do a drinking tour of a port, you ended up on curfew for the rest of our leave!'

'Hey,' he said, looking wounded, 'that was _one time.' _

'I'm looking forward to seeing my kids again,' helmswoman Wu said, smiling at their jibing. 'I bet that my youngest has grown at least another inch since I last saw him.'

'I'm just gonna be happy to see the city lights again,' Bolin sighed. 'I didn't realise how much you miss Republic City until – '

Suddenly, the tannoy crackled.

'This is a whole-crew announcement. All personnel, we are in sight of land! We should be making port before dawn.'

A resounding cheer went up from one end of the hall to the other. People hugged each-other, and someone played a thrumming chord on a pipa. 'We're almost there!' Bolin yelled unnecessarily.

'Crikey, you're enthusiastic,' grumbled the young soldier, still irked at his friend's jibe. 'You got a sweet-heart waiting, or something?''

Bolin's face fell. 'No,' he mumbled. 'My... well... they're not gonna be around. They're in the army too. Duty calls, and stuff.'

'I'm guessing that "they" means "he"?' Things had regressed in the centuries since Yang-Chen's reform. Relationships like Bolin and Iroh's were still passed over with euphemism and delicacy, even now, after seventy years of peace and progress. Sometimes it made Bolin sad, but most of the time, he just dealt with it. After all, they were breaking more than one social boundary by being together.

'Yeah,' he said eventually, avoiding the other man's eyes.

He was pleasantly surprised to feel a comradely pat on his back. 'Well. Even so. It'll be nice to be home, huh?' Bolin looked up to see the other man give him a comforting grimace of a smile.

'Yeah.' Bolin closed his eyes and imagined the pavement of the city beneath his feet. 'It'll be nice to be home.'

'Company, dismissed!'

With a final, flourishing salute, Bolin's battalion disbanded, flowing along the jetty in a river of green jackets, like a pond covered in duckweed being drained off. Somebody whooped; a small group broke into a rousing rendition of 'The Girls of Ba Sing Se'. Bolin tailed at the end of the group, paying some final respects to his metal-bending teacher.

'Thank-you so much, Sifu. I've learnt a lot, and I'm actually sorta even looking forward to coming back again after leave!'

'Don't get too enthusiastic, Bolin. I'm sure someone would have you working in overtime for a remark like that.'

Bolin raised his hands up in defense. 'Urrrrgh, no way! I'm going to take every day of this leave like there's no... tom... Iroh?'

His hands fell limply to his sides, and he let his sentence trail off. He stood stock still for a moment, unable to believe his eyes.

Iroh was coming down the jetty towards them.

His red tunic – not army issue, but well-spun cotton, dark and durable –stood out in the midst of the green Earth-bender's jackets. He carried himself in such a way that most people passed him by, mistaking him for a look-alike, or simply not noticing him in their rush for the port. He was scanning the crowds, searching.

'He came to meet me,' Bolin said to himself, and then, loudly, 'HEY! OVER HERE!' He waved frantically.

Iroh looked at him, and his face broke into a huge, rare, beautiful smile. '_Bolin!' _

They closed the space between them in a matter of seconds, and then there were arms locked around his torso, and they were hugging and laughing and spinning in a circle with all the fervour that their six months apart had left stored up inside them.

'How?' Bolin panted after a moment. 'How are you _here? _I thought that your placement didn't end until – _'_

'There was a change of plan,' Iroh said breathlessly, his voice on the verge of hysterical laughter. 'I can stay in port for another three weeks, there's some work I have to do, but – '

A cough sounded from behind them.

Bolin turned to see his Metal-bending teacher standing there, regarding them with an expression somewhere between amusement and irritation.

'I know you're on leave, Private Bolin, but you would do well to remember that you have me as an instructor when you come back. You don't want to get on my bad side by leaving me hanging in your last conversation.'

'Sorry, Sifu,' Bolin said dazedly, turning slightly in Iroh's arms to give her a bow, 'I suppose that I just, uh... got carried away?'

She flapped her hand impatiently. 'Come off it, Private. I know true love when I see it. Now move along and enjoy your leave, before I give you overtime deck-swabbing in advance. That's an order.'

**~O~**

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry. If you were expecting an A/N bursting with pithy comments and well-thought-out reasons why I love this pairing, you'll be disappointed, I'm afraid. However, I would just like to thank you, dear reader, for taking the time to read this fic, and to request you to take a little more time to review me. Remember, deserved praise and constructive criticism are the best gifts that a Fanfiction author can receive! **

**Except perhaps Broh being canon in season 2. Unlikely, but... here's hoping! XD**

**~KaleidoscopeKreation**


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